Page 13 of Nita’s Bounty

NITA

I have no other option except to press my face into Shuvo’s back as he runs through the station with me slung over his shoulder, praying the whole time that the monitors will glitch or haven’t been maintained. Hoping for a miracle that we somehow aren’t caught, because now that my chance at freedom is more than a lingering possibility, I want it desperately! More than I wanted to stay behind when Treto came to rescue Bela, Skylar, and me.

Something’s changed inside me since all those revs ago. Or maybe something changed when I met Shuvo. Yes, something about Shuvo has changed everything. I can’t put my finger on what or how, just that I was perfectly content before I met him, and now—not so much.

When we are almost to the docking bay and the alarms still haven’t immediately sounded, I start to relax. Just the littlest bit. Is this actually going work?

“This is still a terrible idea!” I grumble into his back, only to be answered with his silent laugh that vibrates through his body.

“Hey! What are you doing with her?” a deep voice bellows from somewhere behind me.

And there it is. I feel my body deflate a little, knowing I don’t have to worry about being caught anymore.

Shuvo stiffens beneath me when he’s forced to come to a sudden halt. Pushing my hands against his back, I crane my neck to see what’s happening, and I’m surprised that it’s not security that is blocking our way, but it appears to be a concerned citizen.

Shuvo steps to the right, and the male steps with him, blocking him from getting by.

“Are you alright?” the young Amean male asks me. He’s equal in height to Shuvo, but his frame is willowy and lithe with pointed elf-like ears and soft, almost feminine, features. His head cants to the side. “Miss?”

Miss? “Me? Oh. Oh yes, I’m just fine.” I let out a breathy laugh while making sure my hair stays draped over my face, so hopefully he doesn’t recognize me. “My—uh—my male here, he’s anxious to get me, er, alone.”

Please, just go with it, I silently beg him when he frowns.

Shuvo palms my ass, his fingers squeezing before he gives it a sharp slap, which I follow with a throaty moan that, much my embarrassment, isn’t an act.

“Oh. Oh, I see. My apologies, miss, I’ll just…” He steps aside, and Shuvo strides past him before he has a chance to finish his apology. And the alarm still doesn’t sound.

“That was really close.” I laugh nervously as I fall back over his shoulder.

That’s when the air splits with the loud blaring of the alarm.

Damnit.

“Go, go, GO! Shuvo, GOOOO!!” I shout, pounding my hands on his back when he doesn’t break into an immediate sprint.

“ATTENTION! ATTENTION! PLEASE STOP WHERE YOU ARE. WE HAVE AN ESCAPE.”

Everyone around us freezes, but Shuvo bolts. Luckily, we’re right outside the docks, and he’s able to slip inside where he weaves in and out of the ships, trying to keep low and out of sight. My hands grip his shirt as I’m bounced up and down on his shoulder until I’m so discombobulated, that I don’t even realize we’ve run up a gang plank until the door behind us swishes shut, cutting off the alarm and surrounding us with blessed, muted quiet.

Shuvo’s feet skid to a halt a moment before I hear a deep voice growl…

“You’ve got to be shitting me, Shuvo!”

My world somersaults as I’m flipped from his shoulder back to my feet. When I stagger, his arms circle my waist, and he holds me until I gain my balance. As soon as I’m steady, he turns and disappears down a hallway, leaving me to face a group of shocked male faces. Alone. What the fuck…

“Um, hi?” I wave my fingers in greeting, but they all continue to stare at me in shocked silence. “Right. I see how this must look.” I blow out a breath and then hitch my thumb over my shoulder in the direction Shuvo disappeared. “I’m just gonna go find him…”

I’ve barely taken a step toward the hallway he disappeared down when he materializes in front of me. My feet backpedal, and I almost land on my ass with a wheeze when he reaches out to steady me. Again. That’s when I notice he’s holding a small black box. Before I can ask him what it’s for, he presses it to the base of his throat and turns toward the group of men.

“How soon will the ship be ready to fly?” The voice that comes out is strangely soft, rather than robotic like I would expect from an artificial voice, and I can’t help but wonder how close to his own voice it is.

“I knew those alarms were for you.” A four-armed male laughs as he claps another male on the shoulder with one of his arms. “Crank, you owe me fifty credits.”

Shuvo glances at me with a smug look that is completely unrepentant.

“Is she—did you steal the kurving human?” the one called Crank sputters. “Of all Althea’s girls… you had to take the human? What in the nine systems is kurving wrong with you?”

Finally. Maybe these males will be able to talk some sense into him. “Shuvo, they are coming for me! You need to let me go and then get the hell out of here before?—”

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